This year’s sowing campaign to cover 21.5 million hectares

This year’s sowing campaign will cover a total area of 21.5 million hectares of agricultural lands, Agriculture Minister Assylzhan Mamytbekov told at the government sitting April 9, 2012. “This figure exceeds that of last year by 1.3%. Grain crops will cover 16.2 million hectares, with oil-bearing crops accounting for 1.8 million hectares”, according to Mr. Mamytbekov. Areas under wheat will be reduced by 300 000 hectares. In a separate statement Minister Mamytbekov said that monthly grain exports stand at 1 million tons with flour exports standing at 300 000 tons. In the current marketing year Kazakhstan has exported 7.8 million tons of grain, Tengrinews.kz reported April 2, 2012, citing Ms. Anna Buts, Head of the Farming Lands Department of the Agriculture Ministry, as saying. “As of today, a total of 7.8 million of grain, including flour, has been exported”, Ms. Buts said. According to the Grain Union of Kazakhstan, the export figure is to reach 13 million tons: 9 million tons of grain and 4 million tons of flour, Nurlan Tleubayev, Head of the Grain Union said. Earlier Kazakhstan's grain export potential was estimated at 15 million tons. According to the State Agency for Statistics, grain production in Kazakhstan in 2011 totaled 26.9 million tons (net weight), with exports potential standing at 15 million tons.